Inclusive park slated for Fairmont's East Side enters final planning stages

Dec. 15—FAIRMONT — East Side will soon be home to the largest all-inclusive park in West Virginia.

Tuesday evening, prior to city council's regular meeting, council held a work session and received an update on the Norwood Park project, which is entering its final phase after five years in development.

Council heard from Fairmont Planning Director Shae Strait and project manager Jim Criste, a consultant from Bridgeport-based Civil & Environmental Consultants.

The goal is to tear down the existing Norwood Park on the corner of Morgantown Avenue and Suncrest Boulevard in East Side and replace it with an acre-sized, all-inclusive park.

The last time the public heard about the project, was in July of 2021 at an informal input meeting. Since that time, CEC and the city planning department have been working to develop a final blueprint and budget for the park.

The plan is to use tax increment funds already available in conjunction with funds awarded from the American Rescue Plan to fully fund the project. The planning department estimates the the project to cost just over $3.7 million.

The majority of the money will come from TIF dollars, which are existing taxes city residents already pay that accrue over time and are used for large-scale infrastructure and quality of life improvements.

If the new city council to be sworn in next month continues to prioritize the project, Christe estimates the park could be a reality as soon this time next year.

"The bidding process takes around six to eight weeks, then we're looking at around nine months of construction," Christe said. "It all depends. Once we get it out to bid, we'll sit down with our construction managers and piece all that out and get a timeline."

The amenities

The new and improved Norwood Park plan calls for installing multiple types of inclusive play equipment. Most parks that cities consider inclusive have a piece of equipment that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act plopped into a field and they call it an inclusive park.

"That's what we want to stay away from," Strait said.

Norwood has been planned with inclusivity at the center, allowing for "parallel play" where kids and their atypical peers can play alongside each other. All areas of the park will be ADA compliant, with sidewalks and slopes all allowing for wheelchair and limited mobility access.

The undulating topography of the property will allow for some creative use of elevation. The central area of the park that will contain a multi-level play area will have an upper and lower sidewalk path that allow access to the upper and lower levels of the play set no matter one's level of mobility.

At the front of the park, there will be a natural play area, with a focus on touch and feel sensory stimulation. Across the path, a small child play area will be constructed. Adjacent to the central play area will be the stormwater system, reimagined as a wetlands wildlife display, allowing for native plants and animals to move in.

On the far side of the park will be a sensory garden, with outdoor musical instruments, a garden and private sensory area to allow overstimulated visitors a moment of quiet.

The park will have only one entrance and exit, so families can be sure no one will wander out of the park.

A long time coming

The journey to redevelop Norwood Park started in 2017 as a simple fixer-upper, but as more parties got involved, the plans grew, and it became a project twice the size and three times the budget.

Local aluminum manufacturer Novelis donated an adjacent plot of land and $75,000 to the project. The Disability Action Center donated $5,000. In 2021, the budget was estimated to be $900,000.

After the plans grew and the ARPA funds opened possibilities, council decided to go all out.

"This will be a destination park," Christe said. "There's nothing else like it in the state."

The total proposed budget stands at $3.5 million, $2.4 million from TIF dollars, $1 million from ARPA funds and $80,000 from donations.

The hope is that bids come in lower, but all the funding is already on hand.

Councilmembers expressed their excitement after the presentation. Josh Rice is also a member of the parks department board and has worked on the project for some time.

Councilmember Gia Deasy also serves as the head of special education in Marion County Schools. To her, the park is a much-needed addition to the city.

"I have a population I'm concerned about, which is kids with disabilities. But the fact that the park is so inclusive with the parallel play this will benefit everyone — the typical peer and the child with a disability," Deasy said. "That's what exciting to me."

Reach David Kirk at 304-367-2522 or by email at dkirk@timeswv.com.